


Retrieve and Reclaim

by sunsxleil



Series: Merry Christmas, I Love You [19]
Category: Carol (2015)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28241670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsxleil/pseuds/sunsxleil
Summary: The idea pops into Therese's head out of nowhere: what if they were to have a dog? The decision on Carol's end doesn't come as quick, but when it does, Carol's thought of everything, including what name to give the dog and what new memories she'd like that name to have instead.
Relationships: Carol Aird/Therese Belivet
Series: Merry Christmas, I Love You [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035672
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	Retrieve and Reclaim

**Author's Note:**

> No prompt again today! Little idea popped into my head and I just loved it. Hope you guys enjoy it!

“Carol?”

“Mm?” Carol Aird looks down from her position, standing atop a chair to stick the Christmas garlands above their curtains. A short distance to her left stands the Christmas tree she and Therese had picked from the tree lot earlier that day. Therese is hanging decorations on the tree, some gold and red balls, and a certain fold of twenty-two paper angels.

“Do you want a dog?”

Carol knits her brows. “What made you think of that?” Carol continues sticking the garlands, with a quick glance at Therese. Therese didn’t seem to be joking, which makes Carol smile in amusement.

“Oh nothing, just…” Therese takes a step away from the tree to admire her handiwork. Pretty good, if she says so herself. Just glamorous enough for Carol’s taste, but not so much that it’ll be a bitch to clean up after Christmas is over. “There’s this dog I’ve made friends with every morning I buy the groceries.”

“And that’s made you want a dog?”

“Well,” Therese wrings her hands, face flushed. Still, she’s smiling, a secret, shy smile, almost embarrassed. “Not exactly.”

Carol turns around, places her hands on her hips as she looks down at Therese. She knows what it does to Therese when she decides to let her hair fall all around her face in all its messy grandeur. Carol’s proven right when Therese gulps at the sight of her. Carol smirks. “But you want a dog?”

“Only if you want it.” Therese says. Her palms press flat on her skirt. “We could get a puppy if you’d like.”

Carol hums. With one smooth move, her hair falling with her, Carol descends from the stool and back onto their carpet. She walks over to Therese and cups Therese’s cheek, kissing her love on the lips. Therese looks like she’s pouting, and despite herself, Carol finds delight in teasing her. “Maybe.”

* * *

In bed that night, as they were falling asleep, Carol says, “you still haven’t told me why you want a dog.”

With Therese already half-asleep, Carol finds it easier to get her answers. Though sometimes, she has to piece them together herself, because a half-asleep Therese can only be so coherent. With Therese’s back against Carol’s front, Carol feels Therese’s hum beneath her fingers.

“You look like a golden retriever.”

And with an exhale from Therese, Carol knows she fell asleep after that.

Meanwhile, Carol scoffs. A golden retriever? Her? Is it the blonde hair? Carol smiles into Therese’s hair, trying to keep down her laughter. Of all—surely of the two of them, Therese displayed more dog-like behavior. Therese pouts more, anyway.

Shaking her head, Carol goes to sleep with her breath ghosting over Therese’s neck. She dreams of Therese, golden retrievers, and herself, believe it or not, as a dog. Therese is more like a cat, after all.

* * *

They are huddled together, one afternoon, enjoying a movie they found playing on TV. Therese is snuggled under Carol’s arm, and when Carol isn’t throwing her head back laughing, she nuzzles into Therese’s hair. One of her favorite scents in the world is, indeed, Therese’s shampoo. Carol can still remember the days when she had woken up wishing to smell Therese’s shampoo on the pillow beside her, just like she did in Waterloo.

Those days are over now. Carol cherishes that fact.

“Carol?”

“Hm?” Of the two of them, Carol is the more fidgety one, so while Therese is content just pressing against the warmth of Carol’s body, Carol’s fingers play with the ends of Therese’s hair.

“Have you ever thought of calling me a nickname?”

“Hm?” Carol pulls away now, fidgeting stopped. She looks Therese in the eye. “Don’t I call you one every day?”

“Not a pet name.” Because Carol usually never uses her name these days. It’s always sweetheart, or darling, or dear, or _my love_ —and on the times Carol wants to say ‘I love you’ without actually saying it, my _angel_. “A nickname. Like… I don’t know, like—”

Carol narrows her eyes. “Terry?” Her voice is deep, serious. Therese looks away.

It’s not that they’ve had this conversation before. Oddly enough, they’ve never quite talked extensively about the relationships with men they were in before they decided to finally brave the world and be together for good. Therese knew enough about Carol and Harge anyway, and Carol knew enough about Richard to know Therese had no feelings for him whatsoever. Still, Carol knew in her bones how the smallest things remind Therese of him. Of the days when he was hanging over her head with marriage proposals and whatnot. And a nickname isn’t a small thing at all.

Slowly, Therese lets her eyes wander back to Carol.

“I don’t want to hear him call me that anymore.”

With a deep breath, Carol brushes her knuckle against Therese’s jaw before cupping it. She tilts Therese’s chin up to look at her. “You don’t have to.” Carol kisses Therese, deeply, with the utmost intent of promise poured into it. Though Carol cannot erase that mark of Richard’s on her own, Therese raises her own hands to cup Carol’s face, and Carol knows it’s enough for Therese at the moment to at least know Carol is there for her and with her.

* * *

When Christmas comes, Therese is shocked to know over breakfast that, apparently, Carol wants to go out.

“ _You_ want to go _out_? _Today_?” Therese’s brows shoot up to her hairline. While indulging her lovely partner on Christmas day is all and well for Therese, it just seems oddly out of sorts for Carol to want to be out and about more than Therese does. Carol likes going out, yes, but it’s less like Therese’s regular desire for walks in the park and more of an occasional burst of energy—which rarely happens on Christmas.

“Well, it’s not really that I want to go out.” Carol’s eyes have a glimmer in them that reminds Therese of unprecedented _showers_ together as well as mornings when Carol suddenly brings her breakfast in bed. Somehow, both of those at the same time. “More that I want to pick something up.”

“What?”

Carol smirks, and picks up her cup to take a sip of coffee. “Somewhere.”

Therese leans further over on the kitchen table. “Where?”

“You’ll see.” Carol winks at her, and Therese is filled with an exhilaration she never quite expected, but delights in. It’s always like this with Carol. Therese wonders how Carol seems to never get her tired of it. “Come on,” Carol says as she stands. “We should get dressed before braving the weather.”

Therese puts on a dress and some stockings, opting not to wear a coat so she has an excuse to cuddle under Carol’s.

They have enough money to buy another fur coat. It just isn’t the same, though, so they stick with this one.

Carol drives them over to… Therese is not quite sure. She doesn’t think Carol is quite sure either. Of the route they were driving on, Therese can see Carol at least _knows_ it. But exactly _where_ they are, what kind of people might live here… It seems like Carol knew as close to nil as Therese did.

“Where are we going, Carol?”

Carol parks in front of an animal shop.

“Remember when you said you wanted a dog?”

Therese side-eyes Carol, and Carol is looking at her the same way. Except where Therese’s mouth is wide, Carol’s is pulled up into a smile.

“Yes?”

“Well,” Carol unlocks her door and pulls on the handle. Therese looks at her, and the moment is pictured in her mind forever—the subtle wind blowing on Carol’s hair, Carol wearing her fur coat, Carol in her favorite emerald green suit with matching pearl earrings, gray gloves on her hands with one hand on the car door handle. The sun is gentle, the kind of cold whispers of sunlight one can only find in the winter. “Wouldn’t want to keep our future dog waiting, would we?”

When Carol gets out of the car, Therese follows suit, elation pumping her heels further up than her usual steps.

While prepared to make certain choices about dog breeds and such, Therese is surprised to find Carol maneuvering their way toward a specific group of dogs that the receptionist directs them to. The small pen is full of puppies, and they are left to familiarize themselves with the dogs, see which one charms them the most (and is the most charmed by them). All the dogs are friendly, but Therese is once again surprised to find Carol reaching out to carry a small Golden Retriever in her arms, turning to Therese after she does.

Therese almost laughs at the sight of both the puppy and Carol smiling at her.

“What?” Carol says. “Like what you see?”

“You…” And Therese is not exactly sure how to say this but, “you look like the puppy.” No offense meant.

But, it seemed, Carol didn’t take any offense at all. “I know, darling.” Carol bounces the puppy in her arms, and oh, it looks just like a baby. Therese knows she wants to see more of Carol with a puppy for sure. _This_ puppy in particular, maybe. “You told me so.”

What? “When?”

Carol laughs. “In your sleep.”

Therese playfully glares at Carol. “Of course.”

Therese comes closer, and she watches the puppy try to bite the ends of Carol’s hair. Far from reach, sure, but the puppy looks energetic. Far more energetic than Therese suspects but… oh, even after just a few minutes, Therese finds herself already falling in love with the little guy.

Therese pets the puppy in Carol’s arms, and it leans into her touch.

“We get to take him home? Really?”

“Her.” Carol corrects. Therese looks up at Carol. “Only if you want to, darling.”

Therese smiles, and bites her lip. She looks back down at the puppy and _oh_ , she can see their lives already, simultaneously brightened and turned more chaotic with a dog in the apartment.

“We’ll have to name her first, of course, if you want to take her home.” Carol says. Therese already knows where this is going, and damn her if she didn’t get lucky with Carol. No one, _no one_ could have possibly given all this to her other than Carol. Not in the way Carol does it. “I was thinking—”

“Terry.” Therese breathes out. “Let’s call her Terry.” Looking up at Carol, Therese finds Carol looking at her with utmost love and vulnerability. If they had not been in public now, she would have kissed her.

“Well then, we should tell the shop we’re taking Terry home, then.” Slowly, Carol let Terry down on the floor, and while Terry is quick to run around their ankles, she did not quite move too far away from them.

“Yes,” Therese says, and reaches out to hold Carol’s hand, if only for a moment. “We should.”

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes are mine, and I don't own the characters—Patricia Highsmith does. Barely 3 days to go till Christmas! Happy Carolmas, everyone!


End file.
